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Neuroscientists discover how the brain overcomes fear
- Animals rely on instinctive behaviors controlled by brainstem circuits, but can suppress these responses to adapt to new environments.
- Fear responses are hardwired but can be learned to be suppressed by complex neural circuits beyond the brainstem.
- Researchers at SWC studied how mice learned to overcome instinctive fear responses to a looming shadow.
- Higher visual areas in the cerebral cortex and the ventrolateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN) were critical in suppressing fear responses in mice.
- The vLGN, a control center for instinctive behaviors, stores learned fear suppressions and receives input from the visual cortex.
- The cortex processes threats, instructing the vLGN to suppress instinctive fear reactions once learning occurs.
- This research may have implications for treating anxiety disorders by modulating the vLGN and endocannabinoid systems.
- Increased neural activity in specific vLGN neurons triggered by endocannabinoids suppresses fear responses.
- Targeted treatments for anxiety disorders could be developed by understanding the brain circuits responsible for fear suppression.
- Further studies on these brain circuits in humans may lead to therapies helping individuals overcome excessive fear responses.
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